Our Kind of Love
by Remus Loves Tonks
Summary: A sometimes sweet, sometimes sappy, sometimes angsty look at Remus and Tonks's relationship, some canon, some non. A series of one-shots. T for some possible themes and language.
1. First Meeting

**A/N: So, Tonks and Lupin are definitely one of the best couples ever, let alone in the Harry Potter universe. I decided it's high time I pay a bit more homage to the awesome couple, and write a series of drabbles (because THAT hasn't been done before). Anyways, they're probably not going to be in order, because I'm going to write them as I think of them (and as people suggest them. Hint, hint.), and probably a lot of them will end up being songfics. And also, I will most likely end up ignoring the fact that they (*gulp*) died, because in my mind that definitely did NOT happen. So, there you have it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these two adorable people, this franchise, or any other characters or settings you may recognize. But I can dream, right?**

_First Meeting_

From the basement kitchen in Grimmauld Place, Remus and Sirius heard the muffled sounds that announced someone's imminent arrival. Remus looked up from the _Daily Prophet_ to meet Sirius' eyes over his cup of tea.

"Come on, let's go meet them, see who it is," said Sirius restlessly, glad for a break from the monotony. Remus shrugged and put down the paper, following Sirius out of the kitchen and up the narrow stairs.

Before they made it all the way up to the front door, there was a great crash, followed by irate wailing from the possessed portrait of Wallburga Black.

"Tonks, for God's sake!" came the grizzled voice of Mad Eye Moody.

"Sorry!" wailed another, feminine voice over the shrieking of the late Mrs. Black.

"That's my cousin!" exclaimed Sirius, grinning before taking off at a run up the rest of the stairs. Remus followed him in an effort to prevent the cacophony of noise from bursting his eardrums.

After the two men rushed into the drawing room and managed to yank the curtains back over the screaming painting, and the silence descended, almost as deafening as the noise that had come before, they walked more calmly back into the hall where Mad Eye was surveying a young woman with vibrant, bubblegum pink hair righting the hideous troll leg umbrella stand.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm so sor—SIRIUS!" she shrieked after she turned and noticed her favorite cousin. She launched herself at him, enveloping him in an energetic hug which he returned, surprised but happy.

"Hey, Nymphadora," he said, laughing.

"Oh, Sirius, _don't_ call me that!" she admonished, her hair turning a bright, angry red. Remus gaped, shocked, as Sirius cracked a joke, and the girl laughed, her spiky 'do turning back to pink.

"Oh, Moony! This is my baby cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, who would like to be known by her surname only, apparently," said Sirius.

"I'm not a baby, Sirius, I'm twenty two!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, I am sorry, what was I thinking? You're ancient!" he said dryly, making her giggle.

"Hi, I'm Remus," said Lupin, smiling at her energetic persona.

"Tonks," she said, grinning and shaking his hand.

"Yes, well, if all that's out of the way, let's get down to business, shall we? No sense standing around in the entrance hall forever," grumbled Moody, breaking then mood entirely.

Tonks giggled once, a sparkling sound, and hurried off after Sirius and Moody. Remus stared after her, punch-drunk and completely entranced with the effervescent girl that had, quite literally, stumbled into his life.

**A/N: There you have it, folks. My first attempt. I like it, so I hope you do. And like I said, if you have any requests or anything, please let me know. I'd love to hear them! Please review and let me know what you think! Byeeee!**


	2. Distractions

_Distractions_

"Alright everybody, listen up!" called Moody, officially starting off the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix.

From the moment Mad Eye started speaking, Tonks' attention had drifted to just about anything and everything else before settling on the person sitting across from her, and down two.

Remus Lupin.

He was her cousin's old best friend, a Marauder, ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, werewolf, and lately, a member of the Order.

And she had it _bad_ for him. The way his sandy brown hair flopped in his eyes, which, every once in a while, still had a mischievous gleam left over from his Marauder days. The way he laughed at her jokes, and didn't laugh when she had a klutzy moment. And there was something about that tweed…

With a jolt, Tonks came back to, realizing she'd lost a good ten minutes off in dreamland. She mentally shook herself, reminding herself that he'd never ever, ever, _ever_ in a million years go for a girl like her.

Sighing silently, she tried to focus back on what Moody and Arthur were talking about, but her thoughts kept flickering back to Remus, along with her gaze.

_ I wonder if he'll ever notice me…_

Remus Lupin was studiously listening to the conversations about guard duties and protections as best he could, but he was finding it difficult to stay focused today.

He kept mulling over a conversation he'd had earlier with Tonks about different kinds of music. He couldn't stop thinking about the way her navy blue eyes glittered triumphantly when she was about to prove a point, or the comically cute scowl that came across her face when she knew she'd been bested.

At one point his gaze drifted over to where she was sitting, and he was surprised to see that hers was aimed in his direction. They locked eyes briefly, and she offered a small smile. He grinned back like an idiot, causing Mad Eye to ask him what was so amusing as if he were a teenager in Transfiguration class again.

He tried with renewed vigor to focus on the task at hand, but his mind had other ideas. He couldn't stop himself from noticing the creamy paleness of her skin, the way her pretty pink lips curved into a smile every five seconds. He loved how outgoing she was, and her unique style as well. How she wasn't afraid to say what was on her mind, either.

He loved everything about her.

But she'd never go for someone like him. He was much older than her, not to mention jobless, and a bloody werewolf, for Merlin's sake.

But still, he couldn't help but wonder.

_ Does she ever think of me?_

**A/N: Awww…I love this stage in a relationship, where everyone else knows they like each other, but where they're just certain that the other person's never going to like them. It makes me oddly happy. XD So, please review and let me know how I'm doing! **


	3. Fly to Me

"_Don't turn your back on me, conceal and protect me, I need you to stop me from reeling around. The time's gonna come when you no longer need me, but stay by my side til the sun has gone down."_

_Fly to Me_

Tonks was lying in bed, staring at the opposite wall. She knew somewhere in the recesses of her mind that she needed to get up, needed to do something, _anything_. She couldn't continue to just lie here and do nothing.

But she was sad. There was no other word for it; she was simply _sad_. And the worst part was that she didn't know why. She didn't have a bloody clue. Nothing particularly horrible had happened to her, nothing worrisome or depressing. But she couldn't shake the melancholy that had settled over her.

From somewhere seemingly far away, she heard a voice calling her name. An oh-so-familiar voice, calling out with concern and pity in his tone. _Remus_.

Tonks felt a tear slide down the side of her pale cheek and land on her tangle of pathetic, mousy, brown hair. She sniffled once and tried to focus on the sound of Remus moving slowly through her apartment, wondering where she was.

After a moment, the door creaked open slowly, and her boyfriend tentatively entered her room. It was in worse disarray than usual, seeing as how she hadn't gotten out of bed in two days.

"Dora?" he asked worriedly. With the smallest of sighs, Tonks slowly rolled over to face Remus. "Oh, love," he whispered pityingly when he saw the tears coursing down her face. "What's wrong, sweetheart? Talk to me."

Tonks tried to speak, but all that came out was a shaky sob, so she pressed her lips tightly together and shook her head silently. Remus sighed slightly, and sank down on the edge of the bed near where she was laying. He ran his fingers through her hair, and stroked the side of her face, wiping away the tears that were falling. Tonks tried several more times to tell Remus what was wrong, but she couldn't do it. They simply sat in silence for a while, Tonks' body shuddering with repressed sobs here and there, and Remus watching helplessly, a desperate sort of look in his eye.

After a moment, a curious expression crossed his face, and he straightened up.

"I know just what you need, love. I'll be right back." With that he hurried out of the room, and Tonks listened to his footsteps bounding down the stairs. A few minutes later he reentered the room carrying a large slab of Honeyduke's finest chocolate. The smallest of smiles flitted across Tonks' face.

Remus crossed the room once more, and sat down on the bed again. Grasping his hand for support, Tonks pulled herself into a sitting position, and scooted over, indicating to Remus that he should crawl in beside her. He obliged, kicking off his shoes, and sliding under the covers.

He ripped the paper off the chocolate bar, and broke off a slab of it with a resounding _snap!_ He wordlessly handed it to Tonks, who took it graciously, before biting into his own piece. They chewed in silence for a moment, until Remus once again asked "What's bothering you?"

Tonks was quiet for a moment, so long that Remus had begun to wonder if she was going to answer at all. But eventually she managed to speak, collecting both her thoughts and her wits about her as she did so.

"I…I don't really know what's been wrong lately. I've just been…sad. For no reason. And it's frustrating, because it doesn't make any sense, but it's just what I've been feeling," she said, sniffling again, and trying to stop the tears that had started to fall once more.

Remus put his arm around her and pulled her towards him so that her head was buried in his shoulder. He rubbed her back soothingly while she cried, every once in a while reaching down to plant a kiss on her head.

At long last, Tonks was completely cried out. Her eyes scratched whenever she blinked, and she felt simply exhausted. Still sniffling, she lifted her head up to look at Remus. He was watching her with a tender, pitying expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," she said self-consciously, ducking her head. "I…I'm just worried that you're…well, that you're…going to…leave me," she finished in a small voice, her eyes downcast.

Remus sighed once again, then placed his thumb under her chin, lifting her face until she was looking at him directly.

"Dora, love, I am never going to leave you. I promise you that," he said, staring into her eyes, willing her to understand. She nodded meekly, and he bent down to kiss her.

"Now, can I see a smile?" he asked, a playful gleam in his eye again. She shook her head, fighting one back anyways. Remus pretended to pout, but she held her ground. "Fine, you leave me no choice," he said, in a mockingly apologetic tone. She raised her eyebrow quizzically, a puzzled expression on her face. Remus slowly reached his hand around until it was poised above her stomach, then started tickling her, swirling his fingers around. She gasped, realizing a moment too late what his intentions were, and squirmed to get away.

Finally, a familiar giggle burst forth from her, and with it her hair turned back to its usual bubblegum pink hue. Remus smiled, and desisted his tickling.

Sighing, this time with contentment, Tonks snuggled up beside Remus, and, with her head on his shoulder, fell asleep soon afterwards. Remus, smiling, played with a tendril of her fuchsia hair, twining it around his fingers as he watched her sleeping peacefully for the first time in weeks.

"I love you," he whispered softly.

**A/N: Do you ever have days like that, where you're sad for absolutely no reason? I do, all the time. They bite, lemme tell you. Anyways, that was angsty, but fun to write, in an odd way. The song is Fly to Me, by Keane. So…please read, and review, and let me know what you think! **


	4. Surprises

_Surprises_

It had been a long, hard day for Tonks. Ever since the Ministry acknowledged Voldemort's return, things had been very tense at work. The Aurors were going through extensive re-training efforts to help prepare them for any imminent attacks by the Death Eaters.

Not to mention the fact that ever since word had gotten out that she was dating a werewolf, she'd been getting a lot of crap from her coworkers.

So on this particular day, Tonks made her way sullenly back home, her feet and back aching and her eyes sparkling with tears. She hadn't seen Remus in over four days, as she'd been working late, and he'd also been busy, helping Dumbledore out with something. And she missed him a lot.

On her lunch break, she'd received an owl from him, bearing a message reading "Tonks, darling, owl me when you get home. I don't know if we'll be able to do anything, but I'll see if I can't get away. I'm sorry. I love you. I'll talk with you soon. Love, Remus."

It was a brisk, chilly September day, and she felt the parchment paper crumple as she put her hands in the pockets of her green pea coat. She'd forgotten her mittens at home again, like she was six years old. Lately she'd been forgetting things left and right, and it was starting to grate on her nerves.

Feeling churlish, she angrily kicked a pebble on the sidewalk, then pouted petulantly when her big toe stung. She half-smiled, remembering how Remus always said she was so cute when she was mad. She'd thought it was so cliché, but at the same time she'd thought it was sweet of him to say.

She sighed as she plodded heavily up the stairs to her flat, and made to unlock the door, wondering sadly when she'd see Remus again.

She swung open the door, and backed inside, closing the door and sliding the deadbolt into place. She removed her coat, and turned to hang it up on the hooks by the door, kicking off her shoes at the same time. She froze, though, when she realized the hook next the one her coat was on was also occupied by a very familiar black pea coat.

She turned very slowly, as though afraid of what she might find. What she saw, however, was Remus, her lovely Remus, was standing in her puny, pathetic kitchen, wearing a white butcher's apron over his usual tweed waistcoat and trousers, and cooking her dinner.

"Remus?" she asked incredulously, and he turned, grinning. He held out his arms, indicating a hug, and Tonks squealed and leapt on him enthusiastically.

"Easy there, love," he laughed as he backed up a few steps to regain his balance.

"What are you doing here? I thought you said you had to work!" she shouted, her voice muffled because she'd buried her head in his chest, breathing in his scent greedily.

"Oh, sorry, I can leave if you want," he teased, acting as if he were about to gather up his coat.

"Don't you dare, Remus Lupin!" Tonks cried, laughing as she swatted at him, her bracelets jingling together.

"Are you hungry, lovey?" he asked, reaching around so she was back in his arms again. She nodded eagerly, indicating the sad bag of greasy fast food she'd dropped by the door.

"You've got to stop eating that stuff," said Remus, frowning disapprovingly.

"But it tastes so good!" she disputed earnestly, making him laugh once more.

"Alright, darling, we'll save this conversation for another time. Go sit down, and make yourself comfortable, dinner's almost ready," said Remus, smiling indulgently at her while he ushered her into the living room.

"I didn't know you could cook," said Tonks, almost accusingly as they ate Chicken Parmesan by candlelight.

"I do my fair share," said Remus, shrugging it off.

"I'm really glad you came by tonight. I've missed you terribly," said Tonks, staring earnestly into his eyes and smiling sweetly.

"Same here, love. I've missed you too," he murmured back.

"Do you want to spend the night?" Tonks asked shyly, blushing slightly and looking down.

"I'd love to," he said, lifting up her chin to kiss her.

**A/N: Awww…they're cute. I want this to happen to me in real life. So instead, I wrote about it here. You like? Lemme know! **

**And also, thanks to everyone who's reviewing/reading/favoriting/alerting, and whatnot. I luuurve youuu! 3 **


	5. Sleepyhead

"_You were one inch from the edge of this bed, I dragged you back a sleepyhead."_

_Sleepyhead_

_ Beep! Beep! Beep!_

The 6:25 alarm sounded shrilly, jolting Remus out of his sleep suddenly. He sat up groggily, and glanced over at Tonks, who was still sleeping soundly. He smiled slightly, and reached across her to turn the alarm off. Knowing it was pointless to try and wake her before seven a.m., he headed for the bathroom to take a shower.

Twenty minutes later, Remus walked back into the bedroom, fully dressed now, and still toweling off his hair. With a small sigh he glanced at Tonks who was snuggled up peacefully, directly in the middle of the bed with all the blankets bunched around her. He smiled bemusedly before beginning the daunting, everyday struggle of getting her out of bed.

He started off with the sweet approach:

"Dora, darling, it's time to wake up."

No response.

"Dora? Sweetheart? Can you please get up?" he pleaded, rubbing her back a little. She stirred briefly, making a few muffled, sleepy noises. Remus glanced at the clock: 7:05. He was still ahead of schedule.

He pulled back the covers a ways, but Tonks grabbed them in her fist and wouldn't let go.

"Dora…" he said, almost warningly. He found it amusing and endearing how often he ended up talking to her like a four year old. Finally, he yanked the covers off hard, and threw them on the ground, but still she curled up into a ball and rolled over, determined to continue sleeping.

He tried a new approach, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her towards the edge of the bed. She put up a fight, but eventually she was laying flat on her stomach at the very edge of the mattress.

Remus sunk down to the floor beside her, and looked her in the eye. She had finally opened them blearily, and peered at him as if he'd just done the most horrid thing to her.

"Come on, love, it's time to get up," he murmured.

"I don't wanna," she protested groggily.

"I know," he replied cheerily, standing up. "Come on, sleepyhead, let's get you ready for work," he said, swatting her lightly with the _Daily Prophet_ in his hand.

She grumbled something incomprehensible.

"I love you too!" he called over his shoulder, grinning.

**A/N: I feel like this is going to be an everyday occurrence in my household. Technically, it already is, but I don't have an adorable werewolf to make me get up, I'm actually responsible for doing it myself, if you can believe that. Review!**

**Ooh, also, song is Sleepyhead by Passion Pit.**


	6. Smiles

"_Sarah smiles like Sarah doesn't care, she lives in a world so unaware, does she know that my destiny lies with her?"_

_-Sarah Smiles, _Panic! At the Disco

_Smiles_

When Tonks smiled, Remus noticed, it brightened up the whole room. People around her felt more at ease, were more prone to smile and laugh themselves.

But it made no one happier than Remus himself. It seemed like no matter how terrible a day he'd been having, if she flashed that smile in his direction, the storm clouds immediately cleared.

One day, as Remus watched Tonks from across the dingy kitchen at Grimmauld Place, a profound thought struck him. There he was watching her smile and giggle at something Sirius was saying, and he realized: he was in love with her. He wanted to marry her, and spend forever with her.

He immediately pushed the thought down, blushing. There was no way; that would never work.

But as he watched her turn her head and offer him a brief, dazzling smile, he thought maybe, _just maybe_, somehow everything would work out.

**A/N: Short, sweet, and to the point, methinks. I wanted to update tonight, but I was also exhausted, so this is the outcome. I could do better, but I think it's actually quite nice. Please let me know! **


	7. Happy Father's Day

_Happy Father's Day_

Tonks woke up one morning in June with an idea. There was a war raging, sure, but it was nearly Father's Day, and her amazing husband deserved some recognition for being the best father in the world.

So she packed up Teddy in his stroller and walked the seven blocks to the nearest Muggle drug store, smirking at the insolent and horrified stares she was getting for toting around a blue-haired baby boy.

She wandered the aisles of the air conditioned drug store, searching for the greeting cards. She finally found them, and went to work opening and closing any and all that looked to be worthy candidates, talking to a happily gurgling Teddy the entire time.

Finally, she selected a cute and fluffy card, then went up to the cash register and paid with the handful of crinkled bills she'd found lying around, the last of their Muggle money.

Then she dropped Teddy off at her mother's house, and Apparated to Diagon Alley. She headed quickly into Flourish and Blott's, not daring to dawdle long. She selected a couple of books that she figured Remus would enjoy, then quickly paid for them and went back to pick up Teddy and go home.

She signed the card _Love, Dora and Teddy_ and sealed the envelope. She then located some silver holographic wrapping paper left over from something or the other, and wrapped up the two books, then carefully hid them in a corner of her closet that she knew Remus wouldn't bother to look anytime soon.

On the next Sunday morning, Tonks got up early with Teddy as usual, and was feeding him oatmeal when Remus shuffled into the kitchen, still half asleep. With a grin, Tonks placed the packages and the envelope in front of his seat at the table, and he paused, confused, when he went to sit down.

"What—?" he asked, but Tonks interrupted him.

"Just open them."

He obliged, first opening the card, then the books, smiling the entire time.

"Thank you," he whispered, still grinning. He reached over to ruffle Teddy's turquoise hair.

"Happy Father's Day, _dad_," said Tonks, smiling, and Teddy gurgled his acquiescence.

**A/N: A little update I did in honor of Father's Day. I think Remus is the bestest daddy ever. :D I've got a few more ready, but I wanna do a few more things first so they're not quite so out of order. Obviously this one is, but this is the only circumstance I could work with to make this a Father's Day story. Hope you enjoy! Please review!**


	8. Sickly

_Sickly_

Remus awoke suddenly, as if someone had shouted at him. He first turned to the clock; it was only 6:30. He then rolled over the other way to look at Tonks, who was still sleeping soundly. Smiling to himself, he quietly and slowly rolled out of bed, and went to take a shower.

Nearly an hour later, Remus was in the kitchen finishing off breakfast, and was starting to worry that Tonks would be late to work when she ambled into the kitchen groggily.

Tonks uttered some indistinguishable noise, and Remus looked up from the Daily Prophet. Her skin was paler than normal, with a slight greenish tinge to it, and her cheeks were rosy red. She was swaying slightly, and holding her stomach and her head, shivering.

"Dora, sweetie, what's wrong?" he asked, trying not to sound as alarmed as he felt.

"I think I'm sick," she mumbled, sounding anguished. Remus stood up and hurried over to her side, helping her into one of the kitchen chairs. He placed a hand on her forehead; it was burning up.

"What do you feel like?" he asked gently, stroking her flushed face.

"Crap," she muttered, but then elaborated more upon Remus' promptings. "I feel dizzy, and nauseous, and hot, and cold, and my head is killing me, and my whole body is aching. I already threw up once this morning, and I haven't even eaten anything yet."

Remus frowned. "Darling, I think you're very sick…you need to go back to bed. I'll call in sick for you at work, alright?" he said firmly, yet soothingly. Tonks nodded once, miserably.

He conjured his Patronus (a silver horse, because she'd once told him horses were her favorite animal) and instructed it to tell Kingsley that Tonks was too ill to come into work today.

After that, he turned his attention back to Tonks, who was half asleep at the kitchen counter. Sighing pityingly, he walked over to her and put his arm around her, trying to steer her towards the bedroom. She tripped and stumbled a few times, so he placed his arm behind the crook of her knees and swept her up into his arms, carrying her toward the comfort of her bed.

He laid her down in the indentation that was still slightly warm from when she'd left it, and piled the blankets around her because she said she was cold.

"I'll be right back, love, I'm going to go find the thermometer and some more blankets, okay?" he asked gently. She nodded again, and her head slumped back against the pillows. Frowning worriedly, he went into the bathroom and fished the thermometer out of the vanity drawer, then found a pile of blankets in the hall closet.

He entered the bedroom again, and spread several of the blankets out over Tonks, before uncapping the thermometer, and holding it in place under her tongue for her. When it beeped finally, Remus was unsurprised, though still worried, to see that it read 102.3 degrees.

Sighing, he hurried back into the bathroom and searched through the medicine cabinet, but all he could find was Midol, pore strips, tweezers, and some diet pills he'd wanted Tonks to get rid of anyways. No fever reducers, no pain relievers, nothing.

"Dora, sweetheart," he said, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her. "Love, we're out of any good medication, so I'm going to run to the store and pick some things up, okay? I'll be right back, I promise. It won't take long."

Tonks nodded, half asleep. Remus bent down to kiss her feverish forehead, then tucked the blankets around her tighter, and said goodbye one last time before walking out the door.

Tonks rolled over in her half delirious state, and fought to keep her eyes open until she heard the front door close, then succumbed to the exhaustion that was taking over her mind, and fell asleep within seconds.

What seemed like only a matter of minutes later, Tonks was being awakened by Remus, who was holding a couple of plastic grocery bags. He stroked her forehead, pushing her hair back to test the temperature with the back of his hand. He frowned for a second, then started pulling things out of the bags while Tonks watched sleepily.

He pulled out a couple bottles of pills, a package of what looked like juice bottles, a gallon of her favorite ice cream, the biggest chocolate bar she'd ever seen, and a stuffed wolf toy.

"Alright, lovey, here's the deal: here are some fever reducers/pain relievers, take two of them now, and you'll be feeling better soon. You'll be able to take them again in about five hours. And this stuff is called Pedialyte, it's fluid replacement for when you're dehydrated, which you are. I want you to drink one of these now too. The chocolate and ice cream is for later, when you can keep it down, and the wolf is for you, to make you feel better. I thought you might like it," said Remus, smiling at her, though still looking worried.

She smiled and made a noise of contentment, snatching the toy dog off the bedside table and snuggling back down into the covers. Remus chuckled, and said, "Not so fast, Dora, you still need the medicine too."

She sighed, and rolled back over, sitting up more at Remus' indication.

He handed her a couple of the white pills, and an open bottle of the Pedialyte stuff. She popped the pills in her mouth and took a big swig of the stuff to wash them down.

"Ergh," she said, making a face. "Remus, this stuff tastes terrible! Do I have to drink it?" she whined.

"Yes, darling, you do. I'm sorry," he said, smiling. She made another face, and took a drink of it again. She repeated the process a few times, until the bottle was empty, and she was half asleep again.

Remus smiled, tucking her in again, and turning off the lights as he left the bedroom.

Under Remus' watchful care, Tonks was well enough to watch television and eat ice cream in the living room by the second day.

Her and Remus sat on the threadbare couch in their sitting room, and watched a marathon of a Muggle television show Tonks liked while she drifted in and out of consciousness.

Around nine at night, when it appeared as if Tonks was fully asleep for the night, seeing as how she was leaning heavily against Remus' shoulder, he shut off the television and carried Tonks into their bedroom.

"Goodnight, sweetheart. Feel better soon," he whispered quietly, placing a kiss on her still feverish forehead. "I love you."

**A/N: Awww, innit that sweet? Anyways, I finally updates! Believe it or not, I've got several half finished chapters started, and saved in my little folder for this story. I've just been lacking inspiration to finish them, apparently. And as for this, I was rambling, and I couldn't seem to figure out where to stop, and all the sudden I did, and I think it might be slightly abrupt, but I still think it's sweet. Anyways, please let me know what you think, and I'll do my bestest to update sooner rather than later! 3**


	9. Miniature Disasters

"_Miniature disasters and minor catastrophes bring me to my knees. Well I must be my own master, or a miniature disaster will be, it will be the death of me."_

_Miniature Disasters_

Remus and Tonks had been on six dates over the last two weeks, to movies, to drinks at the Leaky Cauldron, and everything else in between. But today, today was finally the day that Tonks had invited Remus over to her house for a prolonged period of time. She was planning on cooking him dinner, and she wanted everything to be perfect. There was only one minor flaw.

Tonks couldn't cook.

It wasn't for lack of trying, and she was certainly enthusiastic about it. She always had good intentions, it was just that all that endless stirring and simmering and every other bloody thing always tripped her up, and before she knew it, there was smoke filling her kitchen, and whatever food she'd been trying to cook had ended up a soupy, burnt, sticky, or charred mess.

But not tonight. Tonks was determined; she'd spent a good portion of the week poring over cookbooks and even watching the Food Network on her nights off that she hadn't spent with Remus. Finally, owning a Muggle television set came in handy. She was prepared.

She had it all planned out in her head: chicken breast with melted mozzarella, linguine noodles, and marinara sauce, and to top it all off, a bottle of Madame Rosmerta's own mulled mead. She'd apparated to Hogsmeade that afternoon to pick it up.

All was going well until around quarter to seven, when her doorbell rang prematurely. _Leave it to Remus to show up early, as usual_, thought Tonks with a wry smile, rolling her eyes.

She met Remus at the door with a quick, yet energetic kiss and then led him into the dining room. She had every intention of hustling back into the kitchen to finish cooking, but Remus started telling her a story, and she'd gotten distracted by his warm, chocolate-y brown eyes, and before she knew it her smoke alarm was going off in her kitchen.

"Oh _no_!" she shrieked, jumping out of her chair and dashing through the door into the kitchen. She quickly turned the stove off, and yanked the pan off the burner to stop the smoke alarms. When Remus entered into the kitchen after her, she was staring tearfully into a still smoking pan of charred-past-the-point-of-recognition chicken breasts.

"Dora?" he asked worriedly (he'd stopped calling her Tonks somewhere about halfway through Date #4).

She was unresponsive for a long moment, before she started cursing and throwing things. Remus had to duck very suddenly to avoid being hit in the head by a frying pan containing the charred chicken.

"Dora. Dora, stop it! NYMPHADORA TONKS!" he finally shouted at the top of his lungs. She stopped dead, her eyes wide.

"What in the name of Merlin was that all about?" he asked after a moment. He wasn't prepared for Tonks to burst into tears, however, and it came as quite a shock.

"I just w-wanted to make you a n-nice dinner!" she wailed, "b-but I'm a terrible cook, and I j-just wanted everything to w-work out for once, and it didn't, and I'm bloody useless! I wanted everything to be perfect!"

She sank down onto the floor, apparently out of breath and overcome with emotion. Remus kneeled down in front of her, and lifted up her chin with his finger.

"Dora, listen to me. For starters, you are absolutely not useless. Far from it, love. And secondly, just by spending it with you, tonight is automatically perfect. So dinner's messed up, so what? We can order in and watch a movie on television. Sweetheart, I promise you, it doesn't matter one bit. And it certainly doesn't change my opinion of you. It's endearing; if anything, I think you're even cuter than I already did. Alright?" he said gently.

Tonks nodded her assent. "Alright," she acquiesced tearfully.

"There's a good girl. Now, I'll get this cleaned up while you go order us some food from that Chinese restaurant you like, hmm?" asked Remus. Tonks nodded, smiling slightly, and went to find the Muggle phonebook in her apartment.

Smiling to himself, Remus began picking up the remnants of Dora's little temper tantrum. He managed to scrape most of the blackened pasta and chicken breasts into her trash, and the rest he set in the sink, filled with soapy water to soak overnight.

Tonks came back into the kitchen, still holding the phone. "I ordered us some orange chicken and fried rice."

"Sounds great, love. Let's go find something to watch, shall we?" asked Remus, still smiling.

"Yeah, let's," replied Tonks, grinning at him. He kissed her sweetly, brushing away the last of her tears, then grabbed her hand and led her into the living room.

**A/N: Sounds like something I would do. That's all I have to say. Anyways, please lemme know whatcha think! :D More to come soon, I promise! **

**Oh, and the song is Miniature Disasters by KT Tunstall.**


	10. Merry Christmas

_Merry Christmas_

Tonks heard an insistent tapping on the kitchen window of her flat. She'd just gotten home from work, having volunteered to work on Christmas Eve for double overtime pay. She'd been the only one in the entire office, but she didn't care. She didn't have anywhere to go anyways.

Sighing, she hurried over to the window to let the brown owl inside. Upon closer inspection, as he ungracefully swooped down and dropped the letter on her counter, she realized it was Errol, the Weasley family's decrepit owl.

She opened the letter lethargically, figuring it was something for the Order, and not really fancying the idea of leaving work to go to work. She was surprised, however, to see that it was, in fact, an invitation.

_Tonks, darling,_

_Arthur and I just didn't feel it was right that you'd be spending Christmas Eve alone, so we'd love if you could come over tonight. I know you're going into work to get extra hours, but if you'd be able to come over after you got out, it would be simply wonderful. There'll be plenty of food, and all the kids are home for the holidays, so it'll be a good time._

_Don't bother about sending a return owl, if you can make it, then just come on over when you get this._

_If we don't see you soon, Happy Christmas from all of us!_

_Lots of love,_

_Molly_

Despite herself, Tonks had to smile. It was sweet to be reminded that someone out there cared for her wellbeing and wanted her to be happy, and not have to be alone for the bloody holidays. With some trepidation, she went to change clothes, and to get ready for the party.

* * *

><p>Remus sat, shivering, in his pathetic excuse for a flat. The entire building's heat was out, and it was the coldest day of the year so far. Huddled in all the threadbare cloaks and sweaters he owned, he still was too frigid. He made his way to his bedroom to dig through his wardrobe once more.<p>

He yanked open the door of his wardrobe, and started rooting around in the pile of clothes on the bottom that had fallen from hangers the first time he'd been in here. Suddenly, a flash of pink among the browns and grays caught his eye, and he reached down to tug on it.

From the bottom of the heap of clothing, he unearthed a soft, bubblegum pink sweater, and with it, a deluge of memories and regrets. He stared at it for several long moments, tears stinging his eyes, before he registered what that annoying tapping noise was.

He turned to see Errol, the Weasley's owl, fluttering near his bedroom window, and hurried to let it in, never loosening his grasp on the sweater.

The owl dropped a bit of parchment on his bed, then flew back out the window from which he'd come.

For several long moments, Remus was too caught up in dealing with the discovery of Tonks' favorite sweater, that still carried her scent, like burnt sugar and vanilla, and oh, the number of times he'd seen her wear it…

No.

He couldn't think that way, it was only setting him up for heartache. He'd carefully walled up any and all emotions he'd had about her in the last few months, and he wasn't about to let one nasty little surprise ruin all of that. Sure, it had been his choice to break it off, but it was only for her own good, and it didn't make things any better for him, especially during the lonely nights spent undercover with Greyback and the rest of those monsters.

With disgust aimed more at himself than anything Tonks could have done, he threw down the sweater, kicking it under his bed, and turned his attention to the recently delivered note.

Upon unfolding it, he found it was a letter from Molly Weasley:

_Dear Remus,_

_Arthur and I really hate to see you alone for the holidays, and we're having a get-together on Christmas Eve, tonight around seven…we'd just love it if you could make it. And you know, all the kids are home from school, and I know Harry and the others would love to see you._

_We really hope you can make it, dear, it's been so long._

_Don't bother sending an owl back, just come whenever you can._

_Hope to see you soon, but if we don't, Happy Christmas!_

_Love from, _

_Molly_

Remus smiled just a little; this may be just what he needed. A chance to get together, to talk, and laugh, and eat, just like old times.

_Well, not just like old times. She won't be there…_

Yes, he decided firmly, he needed a distraction, and it had arrived just in time in the form of a handwritten invitation from Molly Weasley.

* * *

><p>Fidgeting slightly, Tonks apparated in front of the Burrow, and opened the door, smiling at the wave of light and warmth and noise that washed over her upon doing so. Entering the house for the first time in what she soon realized was too long, she was surprised to see all the familiar faces there. Moody, Kingsley, and all the kids, and of course, Molly and Arthur were all milling about here and there. She was so distracted by greeting everyone, and being determined to have a good time, that she didn't even recognize the probability that <em>he<em> might show up.

And so, she was leaning against the wall, contentedly observing and occasionally participating in a conversation between Hermione and Ginny, when she heard the door swing open and closed again. She turned slowly, still smiling slightly, when she saw the one person capable of both breaking her heart and mending it: Remus John Lupin.

Her eyes widened, and her smile slid off her face as he looked directly at her, and had much the same reaction. Mumbling excuses that went unnoticed by the two girls, she slid through the doorway to her right and crept silently up the first flight of darkened stairs.

Sinking down on the first landing, Tonks dissolved into bitter tears. This was supposed to be her reprieve, her time away from constantly thinking about him, and after months of missing him, and wishing she could see him, he has the audacity to show up!

She was so caught up in her endless loop of miserable thoughts that she didn't hear anyone approaching until it was too late to run.

"Tonks?" asked a heartbreakingly familiar voice.

* * *

><p>Remus apparated right in front of the door of the Burrow, and swung it open, reveling in the fact that he finally felt warmth for the first time all night. He went a little ways into the tiny kitchen, surveying the room. Several Weasleys were sitting at the table, and Harry and Ron were deep in discussion with the twins. Moody and Kingsley were having a conversation of their own a little ways away, and he saw Hermione and Ginny sitting in the entrance to the living room, and an unfamiliar girl with limp, mouse-like, brown hair was standing with her back to him.<p>

At the sound of the door shutting, she turned, and he realized with a jolt that the pale, limp, languid girl was none other than his precious Nymphadora, who looked positively stunned and horrified to see him.

She turned and positively fled into the darkened part of the house, and Remus made to follow her, but was apprehended by Molly. He managed to shake her off after a minute, and made his way over to where Tonks had disappeared moments before.

He could just make out her darkened form sitting on the first landing of the Weasleys' winding staircase, evidently shaking with poorly suppressed sobs. He could hear her sniffling as well, and it was heart wrenching to see her so broken.

"Tonks?" he asked, his voice breaking slightly.

Her head jerked up; it was evident that she hadn't heard him approaching.

"What do you want?" she asked, sounding as if she had a bad head cold.

"Look, I just…want to talk. Can I sit?" he asked, trying desperately to get through to her. She made a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat, so he gingerly sat down on the landing, keeping a safe couple of feet between them.

"So…" he said, searching for something to break the awful silence, "your new look is…interesting." She made a noise of disgust, and turned to look at him for the first time since he'd sat down.

"Interesting, huh? It's not really a look so much as the fact that I haven't been able to metamorphose since you left," she said scathingly.

"Tonks, I'm sorry…" began Remus.

"If you were sorry, you wouldn't have done it." All the fight had left her voice, all the anger and bitterness was gone. She just sounded like a sad, scared girl who was hurt and confused. And it made him hate himself all the more for it. He wanted to make it better, but he could think of nothing more to say.

"Are you wearing two sweaters?" she asked after a moment.

"Oh…yeah. The heat's out in my entire building, it's been freezing."

"You could have started a fire…"

"I cannot believe I never thought of that," said Remus, mentally kicking himself. She laughed quietly, but it sounded hollow, a ghost of the sparkling sound it had once been.

"Oh, Remus. For someone so smart, you often miss what's right in front of your face," she said softly. There was something in her voice that made Remus suspect she was referring to more than just the fire.

"Look, I really need to be going," she said after a moment, standing up briskly. "I've got an early morning, you know how it is."

Yes, he did know how it was, but it didn't stop him from wishing she would stay.

"Please don't go yet, Tonks. I was really hoping to talk to you," he pleaded, his voice sad and distant.

"I'm sorry, Remus. I really am. But I have to go," she said firmly, not meeting his eyes. She swept out of the darkened stairwell, and Remus watched her go, settling back into melancholy.

* * *

><p>Tonks managed to make her excuses and goodbyes and leave the party without too much of a fuss. She apparated a few blocks north of her building so that she could walk a little, clear her head. After all these months, all this time, he wanted to talk, and she'd left. After waiting and hoping to see him, she'd <em>left<em>. What was wrong with her?

She broke into tears at that point, unable to think of it much longer. She still could not believe she'd left, after all this time. However, what she'd told Remus wasn't a lie, and she needed to get up early tomorrow. Still crying, she trudged home through the snow, and entered her cold, empty flat. An overwhelming sense of loneliness overtook her, and she fought to make it to her bed, where she curled up, snuggling with the stuffed wolf he'd gotten her so long ago, and cried herself to sleep for what wasn't the first, and would not be the last, time.

**A/N: Geez, that was long (that's what she said). So, um…I hope it's not too confusing with the two points of view, and switching on and off. I combined them at the end, cos it would be silly to keep switching at that point. Anyways, other than the immense length (heh) I'm pretty happy with this one. Lemme know what ya think, pwetty pwease. Byeee!**

**A/N (updated): So, I had to change the ending of this from happy to sad, because I was just reading Half Blood Prince, and I happened to realize that this would throw off their reunion in the Hospital Wing at the end of the book. So, as sad as I was to see the ending (and my hard work) go, I rewrote it to fit, and I think I'll save some of the old dialogue and use it for when they are reunited. :)**


	11. Last Kiss

"_And I hope the sun shines, and it's a beautiful day, and something reminds you, you wish you had stayed. You can plan for a change in the weather and time, but I never planned on you changing your mind."_

_~Last Kiss, _Taylor Swift

_Last Kiss_

Tonks sat at her kitchen table, staring straight ahead, seeing nothing. It had been three weeks since he left. Not a word from him, not a sign, nothing to suggest he'd ever been more than a figment of her imagination except the faded old cardigan he'd left at her flat. She hadn't taken it off in four days.

_Remus, where are you? _she thought, and the tears began anew. Everyday she'd been surprised that she had more tears left in her to cry.

She stood up and wandered over to the sink, staring blankly out the window. She remembered all the days spent in her flat, all the times he'd cooked for her, even the one disastrous time she'd tried to cook for him. It all felt as if it were part of another lifetime, a dream that, once awoken from, left only heartache and loneliness.

She missed him so very much, but he didn't miss her. He'd made that very clear that night. Her head hurt from listening to the angry echoes of his voice telling her he didn't love her anymore.

_How does that happen? _she'd pleaded with him. _How can you go from loving me one day, to not the next?_

He hadn't had an answer for her, he'd simply continued to pack his stuff, coldly ignoring her every attempt to make him stay.

_Goodbye, Nymphadora._

His cruel last words were still etched into her being; they haunted her every night as she tried to fall asleep, and every morning when she'd awaken from the merciless nightmares that plagued her.

She simply didn't understand. He'd grown distant in the days before he'd left, but she thought it was because of the approaching full moon.

Never in a million years had she dreamed they'd ever have a last kiss.

**A/N: Wow. Two angsty ones in one day. No, I'm not having a bad week, I swear. :P But in all seriousness, I absolutely adore this song. Even though nothing of the sort has ever happened to me (and I'm still naïve enough to think it never will), it always brings tears to my eyes, especially the part I quoted. She takes a breath in the middle of the verse, and you can tell she's crying. It's just so truly emotional, you can really feel that she knows from experience what she's singing about. **

** Anyways, now that I'm done critiquing the lyrical stylings of Taylor Swift (I can hear you judging me, so just stop it, stop it right now)…I hope you enjoyed my bit of angst. It was written very quickly. XD Lemme know!**


	12. First Date

_First Date_

"Hey, Tonks," said Remus one evening as everyone was filing out into the hallway after an Order meeting.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning back. They were now the only two in the kitchen, though Remus had seen Sirius scrutinizing him curiously before he'd left.

"I, well, I was…I was wondering if maybe…maybe…" he trailed off, thinking furiously _just spit it out already! _"I was wondering if maybe you'd want to go out for coffee sometime."

There was a beat of silence.

"You mean…like a date?" asked Tonks. Her expression and tone were unreadable, but Remus immediately assumed the worst. She was horrified that he'd even asked; he was too, at this point. But there was no turning back now, so he wearily answered "Yes."

"I…I'd love to!" exclaimed Tonks, grinning from ear to ear. "Are you free tonight? I know this great place! It's in the Muggle part of the city, but their macchiatos can't be beat!"

Remus looked up, grinning hopefully. "Really? You want to?" he asked.

"Yeah!" squealed Tonks. Remus smiled again.

"I'm free tonight, I'll pick you up around seven?" he asked.

"Yeah, sounds great," agreed Tonks, giving him her address, and leaving, all smiles. She was so happy, she even managed not to trip over the bloody troll leg in the hall. Remus stared after her, surprised and delighted, and wondering what in the name of Merlin a macchiato was.

At seven o'clock that night, Remus apparated to the corner of the street Tonks had indicated. He strolled along, counting house numbers until he came to the apartment complex that she'd written down on the slip of paper.

He pressed the button next to Number 4, and a few moments later, the door opened, and he stepped inside. He climbed four flights of stairs until he reached a peeling green door with an off kilter brass number 4 on it. He knocked lightly, and listed to her frantic footsteps across the floor.

She swung the door open, panting hard, only one of her eyes lined.

"Hi, I'm so sorry, I got held up, so I'm not quite ready yet. Do you want to come in? I'll only be a few minutes, I promise!" she said, all in one breath. He smiled and followed her inside, assuring her that she could have all the time she wanted.

He sat down at the small kitchen table, looking around at her apartment. It was small and shabby, but had a well cared for look. It was clean, and bright, if a bit cramped and cluttered. There were posters and pictures adorning the walls, and a happy looking group of mismatched furniture in the living room. There was both a Wizarding Wireless set and a Muggle television as well.

To the other side of him were a small kitchenette, and a hallway, which he assumed lead to the bathroom and bedroom.

"I'm so sorry about this!" called Tonks apologetically from the direction of the bathroom.

"Don't worry about it!" he called back, meandering over to check out the view from her living room window.

"I'm ready now," she said softly from behind him. He turned around, and let out an audible gasp. She was standing there, her pretty pale skin glowing softly from the kitchen light, wearing a deep purple dress and black lace tights. Her now black, curly hair was swept up in an up-do with a few curling tendrils softly framing her face. She was wearing deep plum lipstick, and her eyelashes looked a mile long.

"You look…" he swallowed, trying to gather his thoughts. "You look beautiful."

She blushed, looking down demurely. "Thank you," she murmured happily.

"Are you ready?" he asked hoarsely, clearing his throat. She nodded happily, and turned to grab her purse off the kitchen counter, along with her wand.

"Come on, let's go!" she said energetically, grabbing his hand and pulling him out the door with more force than he thought would be possible. Smiling, he made to catch up with her, and they walked down all four flights of stairs and out onto the sidewalk hand in hand.

They went for several blocks, chatting amiably about this and that, both of them still very aware of each other's hands enfolded in their own. Finally, Tonks stopped in front of a warm and cozy looking café, and they walked in the door together.

She led him over to her favorite table, and they took a seat, Remus alternately staring around at the artsy décor, and at Tonks, who was sitting across from him smiling.

"So, you're the expert," said Remus, "what do you recommend?"

"Ooh, expert, I like that title," cooed Tonks, giggling. "Well, the caramel macchiatos are to die for, and pretty much all of their food is great. Their wraps especially."

Just then, a plump little waitress wandered over to their table and demanded for their drink orders.

"Ah…two caramel macchiatos, please," said Remus to the scowling waitress. She grunted and trudged off to fill their orders.

"Wow…someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," giggled Tonks. Remus laughed with her.

They eventually received their drinks, and their food a little while later. Tonks was right; both the coffees and the wraps were delicious.

They chattered for two hours, until their surly waitress came over to inform them that the café had closed twenty minutes ago. Laughing like idiots, they paid and left the restaurant, breaking into fresh hysterics when the waitress slammed the door behind them and pointedly flipped the 'Open' sign to 'Closed'.

"Wow," said Remus, "I didn't know one person could be that rude." Tonks giggled, then paused for a moment.

"Well…maybe she was waiting to go on a date of her own, or to go home and see her kids. Maybe she had a good reason for wanting to get out of there," she said thoughtfully. Remus marveled at how amazingly sweet and kind the girl was.

"What?" she asked curiously when she saw Remus staring at her, awestruck.

"You're just so nice…you always give people the benefit of the doubt." She blushed and ducked her head.

"I wouldn't want to judge anyone too quickly…you never know what someone might be going through," she said, shrugging. Remus smiled at her, and she smiled back, grabbing his hand again.

They walked a few more blocks before they were in front of her building again.

"I had a wonderful time tonight," she murmured, her alabaster skin glowing in the lamplight.

"So did I," agreed Remus, smiling down at her.

"We should do it again sometime," she said, glancing up to see his reaction.

"Definitely," he replied, nodding fervently. She grinned, and looked up into his eyes. He held her gaze while gently lowering his head to meet hers. They were merely inches apart now. She smiled sweetly and closed the gap, her lips softly brushing his.

"Good night, Remus," she whispered, turning and entering the building. He stood there for a long time afterwards, his lips tingling.

"Good night, Tonks," he finally managed to murmur, twenty minutes too late. He apparated back home, his head in a fog. One thing he knew for certain, however.

He was madly in love with Nymphadora Tonks.

**A/N: Three chapters in one night? What is this madness! I am a BAMF! Haha, sorry, sugar makes me cocky, and I've been hitting the Mike and Ike's pretty hard. XD Please let me know what you think of these two adorable people's first date!**


	13. Aftermath

_Aftermath_

After everything was over, after Harry had defeated Voldemort, after the celebrations and the grieving, and everything else that had to take place, Remus and Tonks finally headed home.

Remus supported his sobbing wife, who was still in shock and horrified at all she had witnessed. She realized how close she had come to losing Remus, and she simply couldn't handle the thought. Remus held her tightly, stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort into her ears. She nodded every time he told her it was alright, and simply cried harder.

Finally, when her breathing slowed to a steady pace, punctuated here and there with hiccups, and when no fresh tears leaked from her eyes, Remus took her hand and they apparated together to Andromeda's house to collect their son.

Tonks' mother was sleeping when they got there, so they did their best not to wake her. Remus scrawled a note for her while Tonks collected the sleeping, turquoise haired infant.

They walked home then, though it took a long time, because they couldn't apparate with Teddy, and they needed to clear their heads.

They walked onwards for nearly forty five minutes, Remus and Tonks holding hands, while Tonks had Teddy nuzzled against her side. Her tears, which had started again when she'd seen her baby, and realized that she came very close to not being able to see him ever again, had subsided once more, and only her occasional sniffles broke the amiable silence.

They finally arrived at the door of their little cottage, the night air crisp and peaceful after the explosions and sounds of spells being cast all around them.

"Welcome home, love," whispered Remus, his voice breaking slightly.

Tonks smiled slightly as he enveloped her and Teddy in a hug, and she reached up to kiss him lightly.

"Glad to be back."

**A/N: Just got back from seeing Deathly Hallows. So. Many. Tears. I can't even describe to you…to be perfectly honest, the second paragraph of this one shot pretty much accurately describes how I was during most of the movie. Ask my boyfriend, it was bad. XD Anyways, I felt the need to clear up what, in my mind, **_**actually**_** happened after the battle. This could be better, but frankly, I'm physically and emotionally exhausted tonight. Please, let me know what you think of it.**


	14. Back to December

"_And then the cold came, the dark days when fear crept into my mind. You gave me all your love, and all I gave you was goodbye."_

_~Back to December, _Taylor Swift

_Back to December_

Remus whined and whimpered, curled up on the hard, frosty ground with the other wolves. This mission for Dumbledore was costing him greatly, and he wondered each day how much more he'd be able to stand.

He was trying to go to sleep, but old memories of _her_ kept plaguing him: the way her shampoo smelled, what perfume she wore, the exact shade of her hair, the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. He missed everything about her, and he hated himself for letting her go.

Every night he wondered if she was lying awake in her little flat, thinking of him too. Oh, he'd seen the pain in her eyes when he'd said goodbye, he wasn't a fool. He only hoped she'd forget about him and move on with her life soon. It would be the very best thing for her, and that's all he'd ever hoped for her to have: the very best.

Every day, though, he was closer to earning Greyback's trust. Every day, he was that much closer to going home. Every day, he told himself, he was one day closer to hopefully being reunited with his beloved Tonks.

_Dora, if you can hear me_, he thought, _I'm sorry. I love you_.

He repeated the last two sentences like a mantra, over and over, until he at last fell into an uneasy slumber.

**A/N: Yep, more angst. I apparently felt the need to balance out the fluff or something. I do not know. But anyways, I hope you like! Let meh know! :3**


	15. Cosmic Love

"_The stars, the moon, they have all been burnt out, you've left me in the dark. No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight, in the shadow of your heart."_

_~Cosmic Love, _Florence + the Machine

_Cosmic Love_

Tonks couldn't remember the last time she'd smiled. The last time she'd laughed. The last time she'd done anything except sit and stare.

With Remus gone, there was no life, it seemed. All the good parts of it were gone, dimmed by the ever increasing bad ones. She'd lost her spark, her rhythm, her reason for living the day she'd lost Remus.

Everything was black. Everything hurt.

Nothing would ever be the same again.

He said she didn't need him, that she'd be better off without him. He was so smart, but how could he have been so stupid? She needed him more than anything, she loved him, she craved him. Without him, the world seemed a dark, distant, scary place. She was frightened and timid and sad. She missed him above all else, but it seemed that he did not return the favor.

She wondered miserably if she'd ever see him again. If she'd ever mend her broken heart and move on.

She longed for the day when the first one would happen.

As for the second…she had her doubts.

**A/N: These last two were both very short, and they kind of go together. I think they would be the same time period, you know, Remus is missing Tonks, Tonks is missing Remus, etc, etc. Anyways, I hope you liked them both! I'll try to make my next one more pleasant and involved.**


	16. Entertaining

_Entertaining_

From across the dinner table one night at Number 12, Remus watched Tonks cycling through different facial features to amuse the two teenage girls across from her.

He watched as she changed her nose, her mouth, her eyes, everything. She glanced across the table at him at one moment, her hair long and bright blue, her eyes a twinkling navy color, and grinned upon finding that she'd caught his attention. He smiled back at her, not realizing he was so caught up until he felt someone nudge him in the ribs.

He looked to his left, startled, to see Sirius gazing at him with a smugly knowing smile. He winked once, causing Remus to roll his eyes in disgust and lean across the table to engage Kingsley in conversation quickly, before Sirius could make any remarks about what he'd caught Remus doing.

But Remus couldn't help but let his eyes wander back to the enchanting girl mere meters from him. With a slight sigh, he thought once more of how much he loved her, and how he longed for the day that she would feel the same way.

He turned back once more to see Sirius smiling and shaking his head at him, just like they were sixteen again. Remus groaned exasperatedly, and stuck out his tongue, indulging his juvenile side.

He looked to his right again, and was surprised to see that Tonks, and consequently Ginny and Hermione, were all looking at him and laughing slightly. He offered Tonks and goofy grin, and she returned with her own dazzling one, starting his love struck thought process all over again.

**A/N: So, I've been rereading Order of the Phoenix, and as I've been going, I've been marking pages that I thought "Hey, that might make a cute story." So today I was bored, and I went back through and found them. There's only three so far, and this is the first. I hope you like!**


	17. Waxing

_Waxing_

Tonks could see how agitated and on edge he was in the week leading up to the full moon. She hated seeing him like this, and she did her best to help. It was hard for her, though, as he often ended up snapping at her in frustration or anxiety. Each time it happened, when tears pricked at her eyes, she reminded herself that it wasn't her fault, it was the moon's. That her Remus would never do that on purpose.

She waited and watched, biding her time until it was over. _Poor Remus_, she thought. It must have been horrible, to have been alone all these years, to have no one to hold his hand and help him through it. The thought made tears well up, and made her love him all the more for it.

"You'll never be alone again, Remus, I promise you," she whispered gently to him as she watched him sleep one night. He stirred fretfully, and she pushed his graying hair out of his eyes and kissed his forehead. "I love you so very much."


	18. Fix You

"_When you try your best but you don't succeed, when you get what you want but not what you need, when you feel so tired but you can't sleep, stuck in reverse. And the tears come streaming down your face, when you lose something that you can't replace, when you love someone but it goes to waste, could it be worse? Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you."_

Remus slumped home, exhausted and miserable. It was a few days before the full moon, and he was feeling, if possible, more wretched than ever. All the self deprecating thoughts he'd had all his life were always much worse around this time of the month, and he couldn't stand it.

With tears in his eyes, he thought about how worthless and pathetic he felt. As they so often did around these times, thoughts of Tonks plagued him, of how he was not enough for her, and never would be. He hated himself more and more each day for what he was doing to the poor girl, but he loved her too much to let go of her. He could see, certainly, that she loved him too, though for the life of him, he could not figure out why.

Slipping further into self loathing than usual, he wearily opened the door to his cold, pathetic excuse for a flat, thinking wistfully of Tonks' warm, homey, cheerful one.

He deposited his shoes and overcoat listlessly in the hall, and entered the living room. The first thing he noticed was that there was a fire built in the normally empty and cheerless grate. There was a light coming from the kitchen, and he cautiously headed towards the partially open door, wand raised.

He pushed open the door silently, and entered the kitchen, still peering around warily. At the far end was a slim figure with spiky pink hair, wearing an apron and pulling something out of the rarely used oven.

"Dora?" asked Remus incredulously. Tonks gave a little shriek, and turned around quickly.

"Oh, Remus, you scared me! I thought you wouldn't be home until later," she said, smiling and returning to what she had been doing previously, which appeared to be slathering chocolate frosting on a chocolate cake. "Sit down, sit down, I made some tea," she said, gesturing to the table where two steaming, mismatched mugs sat opposite each other. Remus silently made his way towards his chair, wondering if he was dreaming.

"I thought you had to work late…" said Remus slowly. Tonks smiled brightly.

"I was going to have to, but Kingsley covered my shift. It was very thoughtful of him," she chattered. "Anyways, I know you've been feeling under the weather lately 'cause of the full moon coming up, so I thought I'd make your favorite: chocolate cake. I know it makes you feel better," she said, smiling indulgently. Remus simply looked at her, tears pooling in his eyes.

"What's the matter, don't you like it? Aren't you happy?" asked Tonks, nearly tearing up herself.

"Dora, love, of course I like it, of course I'm happy, more so than you could imagine. I just feel very loved, because you take such wonderful care of me," he said, smiling and holding out his arms. Tonks grinned, delighted, and hurried to return the hug. She kissed him on top of the head and said, "Of course I take good care of you, I love you, silly."

Remus smiled then, happie than he had been all week. Because it was true, he did feel loved, and well take care of. And he knew that, with Tonks around, he always would.

**A/N: It's been forever, and I apologize profusely. I've been obsessed with Doctor Who…it's eaten my whole summer and caused me to forget about these things. And this didn't turn out as well as I'd liked, but I still think it's good. Song is Fix You, by Coldplay. Please let me know what you think!**


	19. Waning

_Waning_

Tonks sighed as she gently dabbed Murtlap essence on Remus' new scars. They were already blending into the tapestry of faded ones covering his torso, legs, and arms, but they were still a violent bright red color.

When she was finished, she gently kissed his forehead and left, closing the bedroom door behind her. Remus was still sleeping off the last moon cycle, but he would be waking up any moment, and she knew exactly what he would need when he did.

She hurried to the kitchen to make two steaming mugs of hot chocolate, complete with tiny marshmallows, and sat quietly sipping hers as she waited for him to come to.

A few moments later, the kitchen door swung open, and a very worse-for-the-wear looking Remus staggered in, his skin pale and his eyes bloodshot. When he saw the two mugs of hot cocoa, and the warm smile of his beautiful wife, he had but one sentence to utter.

"I love you."

**A/N: HOLY CRAP, it's been a long time since I updated. I have no real excuse, other than that I got busy (start of senior year, college apps, online classes, Doctor Who) and the whole writing thing in general kind of fell by the wayside. I'm not proud of this fact. Anyways, I hope I can get back in the hang of it now that I've got a schedule down and whatnot. Please tell me what you think! It's not very long, I apologize, but I'm tired and a tiny bit ill.**


	20. The Werewolf and the Pixie

_The Werewolf and the Pixie_

It was Halloween night, and Tonks was insisting on handing out sweets to the kids who were trick or treating. She'd said it reminded her of when she was a little girl, and besides, Remus hadn't ever done it, so they had to.

Then she'd made her "pouty" face, and Remus never could quite argue with her when she looked like that.

So, at a quarter to six, she was bustling around, filling bowls with candy and generally being overly excited. Remus chuckled as he watched her pace back and forth, growing more anxious with every passing minute. Finally the doorbell rang, and she dragged Remus up off the couch with more strength than the laws of Physics should have allowed for such a tiny thing.

She ran to open the door, revealing a group of superheroes and princesses. Grinning, she passed out candy to all of them, and shut the door behind them as they left.

And thus the night went; both Remus and Tonks camped out by the front door in chairs from the dining room, handing out candy to hosts of fairytale and horror movie characters.

It was nearing nine o'clock, the time when trick or treating was to be over. Tonks was cleaning up the detritus from the night, stacking now empty candy bowls into one another, and sweeping up the mountain of sweets wrappers that seemed to have accumulated from them during the evening.

Just as they were about to go back inside the house for good, the doorbell rang one more time. Smiling serenely, Tonks opened the door one more time. Standing outside were a little boy and girl, grinning and holding hands. The boy had ears and a tail, and a suit made of fake grey fur. The little girl was wearing a tutu and tiara, and holding a glittering wand with a star on the end. Her rosy cheeks were covered with sparkles, some of which were stuck in the little boy's fur.

A werewolf and a pixie.

_How accurate_, thought Remus wryly. Still, he felt warm inside as he watched Tonks handing scooping the remaining candy into their already full bags, and sending them on their way. She closed the door, then turned back to him, smiling. He held out his arms, indicating a hug, and she squealed and leapt on him enthusiastically. He chuckled again as he kissed the top of her head lightly.

_My little pixie_, he thought. _The werewolf and the pixie. Somehow, we go together perfectly._

**A/N: Halloween's just around the corner, and of course it's been on my mind. I came up with this a bit earlier today, and it made me smile. My boyfriend and I were going to be Remus and Tonks for Halloween, but now I have to do something and blah, blah, etc, and now we can't. So sad. But anyways, please lemme know what you think!**


	21. Small Things

_Small Things_

Remus watched his wife as she sat curled up in a shabby armchair and attempting to knit. Molly had taught her how just a few days ago, and she was still trying to get the hang of it. Her tongue stuck out a bit from between her pursed lips in concentration, and one of the shoulders of her faded sweatshirt had slipped off.

He smiled to himself as she wiggled her toes, cozy in mismatched socks, and he thought of how she'd sworn doing so helped her concentrate.

_Remus had known Tonks for exactly three months and twenty-one days, and he thought that she was the most interesting and unique person he'd ever meet. He sat across from her in the kitchen at Grimmauld Place and watched her as she studied for an upcoming licensing examination. She was seemingly stumped on one of the questions, and had been tapping her pencil in frustration. _

_Suddenly, she squeezed her eyes shut, and started wiggling her toes back and forth maniacally. Remus noticed this, as her feet hit his legs a couple times before he asked in an alarmed manner, "What are you doing?"_

_She stopped then, and opened her eyes. "I'm trying to remember something," she answered, looking at him as if it were the most obvious answer in the world._

"_Why are you moving your feet so much, though?" _

"_Oh, that. I've found that it's quite effective at getting me to focus when I'm trying to concentrate on something," she said, smiling sweetly._

_Remus had simply nodded, slightly dumbfounded. He'd never admit it, but he'd tried it just a few days later when attempting to read a difficult text. Much to his astonishment, it had actually worked._

Remus smiled again, reflecting on how the things that made him love Tonks so much were all the little things about her personality that many people would overlook or even be annoyed by.

Like the way she sang along, just slightly off-key, any time there was music playing, or how she could never seem to remember to shut the cupboard door in the bathroom, which resulted in a couple months of bruised shins for him before he began to expect it. He reflected contentedly on the way she always left notes for him when she made him lunch, or how she couldn't stand coffee, but simply adored hot cocoa.

All these little things, the ones that seem insignificant, were what made up the whole of the person he loved so much.

**A/N: I suck. End of story. It's been literally seven months since I've written anything for this. I really want to get back into it, I swear. I was re-reading all my old stuff tonight, and got re-inspired, and so I really wanted to write something for this before I went to bed. I know it's not nearly a good enough excuse, but I have been so busy these past months, that I had to completely rethink my definition of busy. Yeah, THAT busy. Right now I'm totally sick, and I know I'm staying home tomorrow, so that gave me free reign to stay up as late as I want. Though I'm half asleep now. This isn't the best thing I've ever written, but I swear, I'll try to get organized, and get back in the habit of doing this, cos you know what? It's fun, and peaceful, and I've missed it. So please, if you're still out there, please let me know what you think. **

**And also, I am begging you, send me some requests or ideas. Cos I'm running out of my own, that's one reason why I stopped in the first place. I couldn't think of things and I fell behind. Help me out, guys!**


	22. Advice

_Advice_

Remus was fuming; how dare that little brat talk to him like that? After all the things Remus had done for him! He was barely seventeen and suddenly he knew what was best for everyone?

He sighed, furious and defeated as he entered the door to his home. A bitter edge of worry began seeping into his consciousness; what had he been thinking, leaving Dora alone like that?

As the door latched back into place, he heard the very voice he'd been dreading and yearning for.

"Remus?"

He turned to see his new wife standing in the entrance hall. She had a chocolate bar in one hand and a taco in the other; her stomach was just barely protruding from beneath her oversized Weird Sisters tee shirt, fuzzy pajama pants, and an old cardigan of his. When he turned to her, a smile lit up her face.

"Dora," he whispered, enveloping her in a huge hug. She smiled gleefully, a little confused, but hugged him back enthusiastically.

"Where've you been?" she asked after a moment.

"Oh," said Remus, wiping at his eyes, "just out for a bit. Got some good advice from an old friend." As Remus held Dora in his arms, he tried to remember why on earth he'd ever wanted to leave. He felt ashamed, frustrated, and humiliated; Harry was right, he'd been a coward. And it had taken him the angry, bitter words of a seventeen year old fugitive to set him straight. He could see it clearly now from Harry's point of view. He'd never had the chance to have a father, not by anyone's choice, and thinking about a soon-to-be father willingly walking out on his son…no wonder it had set him on edge.

He finally released poor Tonks when he felt her nearly imperceptibly squirming away from him, and led her into the sitting room.

"You know," he mused, stroking Tonks' fuchsia ringlets, "I think Harry should be Teddy's godfather. He would be good at it."

"Oh, Remus, that's a wonderful idea!" said Tonks, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"So it's settled. Next time I see him, I'll tell him," he murmured, kissing his wife on the forehead and settling in beside her on the couch. He was never leaving her again, not as long as he lived.

**A/N: I think this is cute, and the idea is all thanks to it'll be o k. Thanks for the sweet review, and this chapter is dedicated to you, as it was a wonderful idea!**


	23. Wandering

_Wandering_

Trying and failing to stifle a yawn, Tonks eased open the door of her borrowed third floor bedroom at Grimmauld Place. She'd gotten in from watch duty a couple of hours ago, and despite being exhausted down to the very marrow of her bones, she couldn't for the life of her get to sleep.

Figuring, at 3 am, no one would be up and about, she hadn't even bothered with her dressing gown as she padded down the hallway and one set of stairs towards the kitchen. She wasn't quite sure what she was looking for, but she'd know it when she saw it, and was pondering over what this mysterious thing might be when she bumped into someone in the hallway.

Her hand flew up to cover the shrill "Oh!" she'd let out, and the pair held their breath, waiting in anxious silence for the screaming of Mrs. Black to wake the entire neighborhood. Luckily for both parties, it did not come, and after ten seconds of tense silence, Tonks let out a small giggle, and turned to see who she'd happened upon.

It was none other than Remus Lupin, dressed in a tweed traveling cloak and looking bone tired.

"Late night watch?" she asked, understanding.

"Yeah, I just got in. What about you?" he asked.

"Finished a couple hours ago. I've been trying to sleep ever since, to no avail," she replied, leaning on the polished banister.

"I can see that," said Remus, a bemused twinkle in his eye as he nodded at Tonks's appearance. She looked down quickly, praying to whatever deity that she'd recovered from the brief bout of sleeping nude she'd heard about on that ridiculous Muggle talk show. She breathed a small sigh of relief, though a new embarrassment made her blush when she saw her get up.

She was wearing a torn black lace camisole and faded flannel plaid shorts that looked as though they were several sizes too big for her.

"Oh, yeah, well…" she stammered, completely at a loss for words. "This isn't exactly my proper attire."

"Don't worry about it, I think you look amazing," he replied, and a charged silence followed as both parties attempted to work out what he'd meant by his previous statement.

Tonks cleared her throat. "Well, um, I was just headed to the kitchen to try and find something to make me sleepier. Would you…uh, care to join me?" she asked, staring earnestly at a point slightly past Remus's left ear.

"I'd love to," he replied, grinning. "How about hot chocolate?"

"Sounds perfect," she said, smiling at him as they descended the stairs.

**A/N: It's been forever and I feel bad, but inspiration was lacking. However, I found some. So feast your eyes. Thank you so much for reading, etc. You are the greatest people.**


	24. Expectations

_Expectations_

Remus sat in the basement kitchen of Grimmauld Place on an off time. There wasn't a meeting scheduled for a couple of days, and Molly had all the kids busy cleaning somewhere. Remus hadn't met another soul in at least a half hour; truth be told, he wasn't even sure why here was there, save for the single, melancholy fact that he had nowhere else to be.

He hadn't expected to see anyone for a while, so he was surprised when a particularly gussied-up looking Tonks barged into the kitchen.

"You look fancy," he said casually, trying not to show his flushed face and racing heart.

"Bachelorette party for a friend – Muggle-born, wanted to keep the traditions," she mumbled, tugging at the strap of her tank top.

"Bit early for partying, isn't it?" asked Remus, glancing at the clock on the mantle.

"That's what I said!" she exclaimed. "But would anyone listen to me? Noooooo." Remus couldn't help but smile at her whining. She finally stopped fidgeting and truly looked at him for the first time since she'd entered the room. "Do I look okay?" she asked tentatively.

"You look…great," he finished lamely, wishing he could properly express his true sentiments. Apparently it was enough for her, though. She smiled radiantly, and he gave her a goofy grin in return. Her smile faded soon, though, and she sighed.

"I'd better be off, then. Well…I'll see you around, Remus," she said softly, glancing at the same clock. He bid her farewell, and stared wistfully off after her until Sirius came in with a knowing grin and told him to stop acting like a gooseberry.

_Later_

Remus was sitting again, only this time he was in the front parlor reading. Everyone had since gone off to bed, but having been troubled with sleeplessness, he had wandered around the gargantuan house until he found a book he'd lain down on a coffee table a number of days before.

For the second time that day, he was noisily interrupted by someone barging in the door. It was the same someone as before, he was pleased to see, only she now looked much more disheveled. In her hand was a partially empty bottle of Firewhiskey, and she stumbled more than usual. It was a right miracle she'd gotten in the door without waking the whole neighborhood, let alone the mad old portrait of Mrs. Black.

"Tonks?" asked Remus incredulously.

"Remus!" she slurred, excited. She made her way clumsily over towards him and plopped down on the sofa next to him.

"Did you have a good time at the bachelorette party?" he asked wryly.

She sat, looking thoughtful for a moment, and then blurted out something at random.

"What's wrong with me, Remus?"

"What?" he asked sharply, completely caught off guard by her question.

"Why can't I find a man?" she demanded, staring at him beseechingly. This was the first of many times – though he didn't know it then – that he would notice how child-like she became when either very very tired or completely intoxicated.

"Maybe you just haven't found the right one yet," he said, his voice softer now. He was beginning to understand things in bits and pieces – her moodiness earlier, the complete intoxication and lack of control – it all stemmed from her friends impending nuptials.

"I haven't found one, period!" she said with a bitter laugh. "What's wrong with me? If Mindy Thompson with her tiny little eyes and her pig snout can find a decent man, then why not me? She works in a shop, and I'm an auror, for Merlin's sake!" she ranted. Remus waited her out.

"Come on, it's not that bad. I mean, you're in the prime of your life, and you've got an excellent career that you've chosen to focus on. There's nothing wrong with that! When the right guy comes along, you'll know," he said consolingly.

"I am 25 years old, I should have things figured out by now, right? I mean, my mum was married by the time she was my age!"

"Tonks, listen to me, you'll find the right person, and on no one's time but your own. He's probably right in front of you, just waiting for you to take notice…" he trailed off. She was looking at him intensely, their eyes level. They began to lean towards each other, and Tonks' lips parted slightly, when –

"Oh! Sorry, am I interrupting something?" Ginny Weasley's tentative voice came from the bottom of the stairs. The pair of adults jolted upright. Remus blushed crimson from being caught acting like a teenage, and by one, nonetheless.

"No! No, everything's fine, um, Tonks is just feeling a bit under the weather!" Remus said, much too loudly and in a horrible, jovial sounding voice. Tonks, looking not at all ashamed and rather sleepy, chose that moment to hiccup.

"Er…right. I was just getting a glass of water. Um…see you," the youngest Weasley said awkwardly, edging away with a slight smile on her face, shaking her head.

When Remus looked back at Tonks, she was snoring, her head on the arm of the couch, and the Firewhiskey bottle loose in her hand.

**A/N: I don't know, I've been really busy? I wouldn't buy it either. But I've suddenly got several ideas. I make no promises, as I'm preparing to start college, and that's going to be very stressful and time consuming. But I'd like to pick this up again. **


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